French Crepes
Paper-thin, soft, foldable. The batter is dead simple: flour, eggs, milk, butter. The technique is the hard part. You pour a thin puddle and swirl the pan to spread it before it sets. First one's always a throwaway. By the third or fourth, you'll have it.
From Wikibooks Cookbook (Crepes I, adapted with sugar and vanilla) · CC BY-SA 3.0
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Prep
35 min
Cook
20 min
Makes
12 crepes
Difficulty
medium
Nutrition
Per serving (2 crepes) · USDA FoodData Central: Crepes
160kcal
Calories
8g
Protein
5g
Fat
20g
Carbs
0.4g
Fiber
Ingredients
Servings
1x- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp melted butter, plus more for the pan
- 1 tbsp sugar (for sweet crepes) or omit for savory
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (for sweet crepes)
Instructions
- 1
Whisk 1 cup flour, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 tbsp melted butter, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp vanilla in a bowl until completely smooth. No lumps at all.
- 2
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This lets the flour fully hydrate and gives you a smoother crepe.
- 3
Heat an 8 or 9-inch non-stick pan over medium heat. Brush with a thin layer of melted butter.
- 4
Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into the center of the pan. Immediately lift and tilt the pan in a circular motion so the batter spreads into a thin, even circle.
- 5
Cook about 45 seconds until the bottom is lightly golden and the edges start to pull away from the pan.
- 6
Flip with a thin spatula or your fingers if you're brave. Cook the second side about 20-30 seconds.
- 7
Slide onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter, stacking crepes on top of each other.
- 8
Fill with Nutella and bananas, ham and cheese, lemon and sugar, or anything you want. Roll or fold into quarters.
Notes
things we learned along the way
- Resting the batter is the step everyone skips. It makes a real difference. Thirty minutes minimum.
- The pan should be medium heat, not hot. Too hot and the batter sets before you can swirl it.
- First crepe is a test. Use it to adjust heat and batter amount. No shame in tossing it.
- Stack them between sheets of wax paper if you're making them ahead. They reheat in a dry pan in 20 seconds.
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Source and credits
Recipe adapted from Wikibooks Cookbook (Crepes I, adapted with sugar and vanilla). License: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Photos from Unsplash (free license). Nutrition data from USDA FoodData Central.